Chattahoochee: A fine backdrop to family home

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Chattahoochee: A fine backdrop to family home

Katie and Doug Davidson created an 11,000-square-foot chateau-style home in Duluth on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. See photos of this home.

Katie and Doug Davidson built a chateau-style home in Duluth to give their family (daughter Diana, 13, and son Douglas, 8) some privacy in a natural setting. Their 11,000-square-foot house sits on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Here, they enjoy their lanai, an outdoor entertaining area.

The Davidsons built the house in 2007 with the help of luxury builder Lewis Reeves (www.lewisreeveshomes.com). The seclusion, coupled with easy access to Atlanta, is what led the Davidsons to this area of Duluth.

The foyer sets the tone with old-world style. "We like classic design with simple, clean lines," says Katie Davidson, who worked with Donald Mitchell of Donald Mitchell Design in Alpharetta to create a traditional European style.

The Davidsons changed plans for a vaulted ceiling in their great room, creating more space upstairs. The ceilings in the master suite are 12 feet while the great room boasts a 14-foot ceiling. Solid limestone floors and the fireplace complete the look.

Mitchell designed and styled the home. The couple also worked with him on their South Carolina lake house.

The builder constructed a whimsical, spiral staircase that leads from the music room to the second floor library. "We wanted to add another staircase," Katie Davidson said. (By the way, the kids have discovered it's a dangerous and bumpy ride if you slide down it with socked feet.)

A grand piano anchors the walnut-paneled music room, which also features oil paintings of the family.

In the kitchen, designer Teresa Hamilton split the refrigerator and freezer to avoid creating one large, stainless-steel visual. The kitchen features a grand island with storage drawers, some of which are used to contain the kids' homework. The light granite counters provide contrast to the dark wood cabinetry. "Having a female touch in the kitchen was good," Katie Davidson said.

The breakfast room includes energy-efficient, UV coated Kolbe windows. The china cabinet houses Katie Davidson's collection.

Mitchell incorporated the Davidsons' dining table into the new French European decor. "I tried to pull together classical things from Europe," he said.

Daughter Diana's room is done in white and aqua with a modern feel, a completely different tone from the rest of the home. "I had pink in my old room, and I decided to go with something different. I've always loved aqua," Diana said.

Katie Davidson said they bleached the hardwood floors to give the room a spa feel.

The spa feeling flows into Diana's bathroom with iridescent tiles and an organic-shaped sink in aqua.

Diana Davidson shows off her purse collection in a spacious dressing room.

Birds are the theme of this guest room.

Son Douglas' room has a boyish feel, but it's certainly not too juvenile. All the upstairs bedrooms are the size of master suites, which will make resale a breeze. The home has four bedrooms, four full baths and three half baths.

Douglas also has a built-in desk between his bedroom and game room. "I don't do real themey rooms. His is a very manly room that will go through college," Katie Davidson said.

Off Douglas' bedroom is a "boys game room" where he can build Legos and hang out with his friends.

The wallpaper in Douglas' bathroom is faux croc and ostrich to give it a fun yet sophisticated look.

The Davidsons' built a media room on the second level. "We love to come up here and watch movies and spread out," Doug Davidson said. This area also has a bathroom with an antique vanity.

The black and white master bedroom includes a handmade bedspread with Swarovski crystals stitched into the pillows. Mitchell used anaglyptic (meaning carved in low relief) wall coverings on the ceiling, giving the illusion of a tin ceiling. "This room has a more Italianate influence," Mitchell said. "Katie and Doug both like things clean. It was hard to pull in Italianate classicism and make it liveable. They sit on the club chairs and watch TV."

The master bath relies on Carrera marble throughout and includes a small coffee bar. "We wanted it to be a hotel bath ... like The Ritz," Katie Davidson said. "We wanted it to be timeless."

Katie Davidson and her designer chose a subtle lettuce stripe wallpaper. The princess vanity flows into the dressing room. Instead of creating a separate steam shower, they incorporated a steam shower into the main shower area. "It just makes sense. Even the kids use it for stuffy noses," Katie Davidson said.

Doug Davidson's paneled study overlooks the pool and has a balcony. "When Diana starts having pool parties I'll be sitting out here," he said with a chuckle.

The story behind this painting in the keeping room offers a lesson for practical jokers. Katie Davidson loved it but couldn't get husband Doug to warm up to the idea. He dragged his feet and designer Mitchell told her it was sold. But on Christmas morning, the painting was hanging in the basement of their former home.

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Katie and Doug Davidson built a chateau-style home in Duluth to give their family (daughter Diana, 13, and son Douglas, 8) some privacy in a natural setting. Their 11,000-square-foot house sits on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Here, they enjoy their lanai, an outdoor entertaining area.

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